Where to go...for a pre-Christmas city break

Get out of town, literally! We've rounded up four cities worth escaping to...

20 Oct 2014

Monday 20 October 2014

1) The Redbury, Miami

Miami isn't about vice or crack or grisly Versace dramas any more. It's about art fairs, pop-ups and fresh young hipsters on bicycles. So, right on cue, Hollywood's art-themed Redbury has opened a sister branch in a renovated art-deco low-rise in South Beach. Everything screams retro, from the all-day brasserie to the working record players in your room (yup - Elvis LPs are provided). Music-video director Matthew Rolston has curated the design, which majors in vintage photography and theatrical touches, such as heavy red curtains in the lobby. Suck milkshakes through straws at the chrome bar or head for the rooftop pool, where there's space for a boogie. The rooms are simple and fresh: silky-smooth bed linen and enormous walk-in showers with Ciel Spa products. Basic touches like tea- or coffee-making facilities are missing, but with 10 varieties of vodka to choose from in the minibar, who cares?

2) W Hong Kong, Hong Kong

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You know what you're getting with a W. That's 'W' for 'Wacky!' and 'Wild!' and 'Wicked!' The W Hong Kong is no different: it's busy and noisy and dark and sultry and FUN. Plus it has the best views of Hong Kong Island money can buy - from the calm, trendy rooms, from the vast glass-walled corner suites, from the buzzing bar (live-music and wine nights get particularly packed out with expats), from the treatment rooms in the Bliss spa and from the Wet Deck and pool on the 76th floor (one of the highest rooftop pools in the world). Its Kowloon location is spot-on for shopping - the swish Elements Mall is next door, and downtown is a quick drive (or Star Ferry ride) away. The staff are ridiculously perky ('We do hugs, not handshakes!' - they really say this) but tremendously plugged in; they'll send you to the coolest bars and newest restaurants, and get you the best table if you ask nicely (remember: with a hug, not a handshake).

BOOK IT Double, from £240 (w-hongkong.com). Virgin Atlantic flies daily to Hong Kong from London Heathrow. Economy fares start from £670. For more information, ring 0344 209 2770

3) Waldorf Astoria, Berlin

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Berlin does a good line in cutting-edge, in gritty cool, in punky, slightly scary fashion. But it also has a refined side, a cream- Chanel-flats-and-updo side. That's where the Waldorf Astoria comes in, standing tall in prim and proper Charlottenburg, right by the Ku'damm, the city's answer to Bond Street. It's a new build but has a wise old heart - the sort of place you don't want to be caught short of hairspray. Make like an old-school intellectual over kaffee und kuchen at the Romanisches Café, or clip-clop up to the orchid-white Guerlain spa for a Berlin Chic massage, which will have you bounding out with a spring and a whistle. Next, it's over to Michelin-starred dining at Les Solistes, where French whizz Pierre Gagnaire does a fine turn at Franco-German fusion. Then shake out your do, pull on some trainers and head for the leafy wonderland of the Zoological Garden, just opposite. Say hello to the elephants. They're lovely.

4) The New York Palace, New York

So there's the Palace - the Madison Avenue princess that's partial to a gilded staircase or two. But did you know about the Palace Towers? They've just unveiled a glitzy new refurb, with a glamorous mansion-style lobby and private lifts that zip you to the 53rd floor faster than the bellboy can ask for a tip (he'll still try, though). This snazzy new hotel-within-a-hotel is the bit to stay in if you want to pretend you actually live in actual Manhattan (and are actually loaded). The suites are crazy big, with a kitchen, a living room and the kind of city views that make you deeply regret the decisions in life that mean you don't live here all the time. There are six restaurants to pick from - breakfast like a king at the Villard Michel Richard restaurant by ordering the apple cinnamon pancakes. Trust us when we say that they'll be one of the greatest things you've ever put in your mouth.